A hanger rod is part of a hanger assembly wherein one end of a threaded rod is vertically attached to the building structure, such as a concrete slab or a wood or steel beam. The other end has an attachment mechanism such as a yoke with a supporting structure, which is used to support building components (e.g., water pipes, HVAC ducts, cables, and electrical conduits) at a position relative to the concrete slab or beam. While hanger rods can be provided in any diameter, the typical size is either ⅜, ½, ⅝, ¾, ⅞, 1 or 1¼ inches, depending on the structure that is to be supported. The lengths can be selected as needed for the particular construction project. Generally, a hanger rod is less than about 120 inches in length.
While these hanger rods are strong enough to support the various building components attached thereto, various assemblies and methods have been proposed to strengthen the hanger rod against deformation due to unusual stresses that may be experienced within the building, such as movement associated with an earthquake. Some devices make use of a stiffening member, such as a channel strut, angle iron, or pipe that is positioned substantially parallel to the hanger rod. One type of connection between the stiffening member and the hanger rod can be provided by welding the member to the rod, which is extremely time-consuming and not practical due to the expense involved. In another type of connection, the stiffening member and the hanger rod are connected in their parallel arrangement by a series of clamping devices by use of several manually driven fasteners, such as screws. Again, connection via fasteners can be a time-consuming process.
To keep installation costs down, there is a continuing need for stiffening assemblies for hanger rods that are simple to use, easy to make, and require minimal manual effort for installation. The present invention helps to satisfy this market need.